An out rioter on January 6 has rejected a pardon from President Donald Trump, saying he deserves to be punished for breaching the Capital building at the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021.
Jason Riddle told multiple media outlets he deeply regrets his role in the event and is no longer a supporter of Trump and his Make American Great Again (MAGA) movement.
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“I don’t need to obsess over a narcissistic bully to feel better about myself,” Riddle told ABC News, adding, “Trump can shove his pardon up his a**.”
Riddle, a U.S. Navy veteran, told Vermont Public he is a recovering alcoholic, saying he grew into a pattern of drinking to excess and then posting inflammatory political comments on social media. He had attended Trump rallies previously and decided to participate in the January 6 rally to see him one last time as president.
He arrived at the Washington Monument just after noon on January 6, then walked to the Capital building where a crowd was already gathering. He remained outside for a short time before entering the building, eventually making his way to the Parliamentarian’s office.
Riddle described a “jubilant celebration” upon entering the building.
“I didn't really understand what we were celebrating, but I definitely took part in that,” Riddle told Vermont Public. “People were smashing windows and breaking things, and I went in and spotted a liquor cabinet and – doing what a good alcoholic does — just poured myself a drink because why not?”
A Capital police officer told Riddle to chug his wine and leave. Along with the wine, Riddle also left with a book he later sold and a football he tossed into the crowd as he left the building.
Riddle said it wasn’t until he was outside the building and learned that civilian Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot by Capital Police Lieutenant Michael Bryd that he realized the gravity of the situation.
Two weeks later, the FBI searched Riddle’s New Hampshire residence and interviewed him. He admitted to his involvement in the breach and that he had deleted pics and videos of the event from his phone. He was arrested the following month in New Jersey.
He initially pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including violent entry, disorderly conduct, and theft of government property. On April 4, 2022, though, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to 90 days in jail followed by three years of probation. He was also ordered to pay $754 in restitution.
Riddle entered prison treated like a hero by prisoners and guards alike, and he bought into what he described as “patriot hero nonsense” throughout his prison term. It wasn’t until he was released from prison and learned that Trump was having more rallies that he started having regrets. He asked himself why Trump would have a rally when he knew of the violence and deaths that occurred on January 6.
“And that's when I had the epiphany, the duh moment, where I'm like, ‘He asked this because he doesn't care about anybody other than himself,’” Riddle told Vermont Public. “That’s when on the inside I knew and I stopped supporting him.”
He learned he was pardoned while at the gym with his husband. "I saw it on one of the TVs. And I looked over at him and was like, 'It looks like I'm pardoned today,'" he told the outlet.
Riddle says he is in a better place now, embracing sobriety and dealing with his mental health problems. He still thinks about the police officers who died by suicide following January 6 and now he wonders how the families of those officers feel since Trump has pardoned 1,500 people charged with offenses related to the breach of the Capital building.
He has no disillusions about his role on January 6, however. He also realizes how that awful day and his response to his involvement have changed and improved his life.
“I am guilty of the crimes I have committed and accept the consequences,” Riddle told ABC News. “It is thanks to those consequences I now have a happy and fruitful existence.”